Skip to main content
Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Georgina Campbell as Jane in Psycho Killer
Horror Movies Barbarian star's new slasher horror called "abysmally dull" and "a nothing burger of a movie" in scathing first reviews
Glen Powell as Beckett Redfellow in How to Make a Killing
Drama Movies Glen Powell's new crime thriller movie How to Make a Killing debuts to disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score
Chris Pratt as Detective Chris Raven in Mercy
Sci-Fi Movies Chris Pratt's new AI thriller debuts to one of the Marvel star's lowest Rotten Tomatoes scores in over 10 years
Glen Powell as Becket in How to Make a Killing
Comedy Movies How to Make a Killing is Glen Powell's latest mid-budget movie, and I hope he never stops making them
Jessie Buckley as Ida/Penny in The Bride
Horror Movies The Bride bombs at the box office with $13.6 million opening against a $90 million budget
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi Movies Project Hail Mary review: "Large scale sci-fi with tons of heart"
Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning as Gustav and Rachel in Sentimental Value
Drama Movies Elle Fanning and Stellan Skarsgård discuss unlikely friendships and avoiding cliche in Sentimental Value
Gerard Butler and Mike Colter in Plane
Thriller Movies Plane sequel cancelled after star Gerard Butler decided "last minute" that he "didn't want to go forward with it"
Jessie Buckley as Ida/Penny in The Bride
Horror Movies The Bride earns mixed first reviews, as critics call it everything from "a modern classic" to "unholy mess"
Return to Silent Hill protagonist James Sunderland
Horror Movies Return to Silent Hill review: "Neither an impressive adaptation nor coherent enough to act as a standalone film"
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die
Sci-Fi Movies Pirates of the Caribbean director's new sci-fi movie hailed by critics as "best Black Mirror episode in nearly a decade"
Kelly Rowland as Leah Caldwell and Cliff Smith as Jarrett Roy in Relationship Goals.
Streaming Services 3 new to Prime Video movies you should watch this weekend (February 14–15)
Karl Urban as Captain Connor in The Bluff
Action Movies The Boys star's new swashbuckling actioner compared to Pirates of the Caribbean in mixed-positive first reviews
Joe Kerry as Travis 'Teacake' Meachum and Georgina Campbell as Naomi Williams in Cold Storage
Horror Movies Stranger Things star's new zombie horror Cold Storage is a love letter to gooey, goofy sci-fi from the early 2000s
Ghostface in Scream 7
Horror Movies Scream 7 review: "Never as sharp as the series' best, but still has a few neat tricks up its billowing sleeve"
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Comedy Movies

Playing For Keeps review

Awful romcom starring Gerard Butler as a troubled ex-footballer

Reviews
By Ken McIntyre published 11 January 2013

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

A down-on-his-luck ex-soccer star (Gerard Butler) coaches his young son’s team as a way to bond with the boy and cope with his midlife crisis, developing a loyal fanbase of swooning ‘soccer moms’ along the way.

And then his ex-wife (Jessica Biel) steps into the picture, with wedding plans underway with a new man, and the waterworks start flowing.

Playing For Keeps is awful – and not in a hilarious Ed Wood way.

You may like
  • Georgina Campbell as Jane in Psycho Killer Barbarian star's new slasher horror called "abysmally dull" and "a nothing burger of a movie" in scathing first reviews
  • Glen Powell as Beckett Redfellow in How to Make a Killing Glen Powell's new crime thriller movie How to Make a Killing debuts to disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score
  • Chris Pratt as Detective Chris Raven in Mercy Chris Pratt's new AI thriller debuts to one of the Marvel star's lowest Rotten Tomatoes scores in over 10 years

It’s just sad-awful, as in Hollywood thinks so little of female film-goers that it expects them to eat up pandering dreck like this.

Director Gabriele Muccino ( The Pursuit Of Happyness ) can do better, while Robbie Fox’s first script since 1993’s So I Married An Axe Murderer suggests he’s not had much inspiration since then.

At least Butler’s good at footie.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Ken McIntyre
Freelance writer

Ken McIntyre is a freelance writer who has spent years covering music and film. You'll find Ken in the pages of Total Film and here on GamesRadar, using his experience and expertise to dive into the history of cinema and review the latest films. You'll also find him writing features and columns for other Future Plc brands, such as Metal Hammer and Classic Rock magazine. 

Read more
Georgina Campbell as Jane in Psycho Killer
Horror Movies Barbarian star's new slasher horror called "abysmally dull" and "a nothing burger of a movie" in scathing first reviews
 
 
Glen Powell as Beckett Redfellow in How to Make a Killing
Drama Movies Glen Powell's new crime thriller movie How to Make a Killing debuts to disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score
 
 
Chris Pratt as Detective Chris Raven in Mercy
Sci-Fi Movies Chris Pratt's new AI thriller debuts to one of the Marvel star's lowest Rotten Tomatoes scores in over 10 years
 
 
Glen Powell as Becket in How to Make a Killing
Comedy Movies How to Make a Killing is Glen Powell's latest mid-budget movie, and I hope he never stops making them
 
 
Jessie Buckley as Ida/Penny in The Bride
Horror Movies The Bride bombs at the box office with $13.6 million opening against a $90 million budget
 
 
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi Movies Project Hail Mary review: "Large scale sci-fi with tons of heart"
 
 
Latest in Comedy Movies
Glen Powell as Becket in How to Make a Killing
Comedy Movies How to Make a Killing is Glen Powell's latest mid-budget movie, and I hope he never stops making them
 
 
Community
Comedy Movies Community movie got "very close" to filming, but one star's schedule caused a delay
 
 
Coyote Vs ACME
Comedy Movies Coyote vs. Acme star felt "white hot anger" at the Looney Tunes live-action movie being shelved
 
 
Ghostface waggling a knife while on a subway car in the trailer for Scary Movie 6
Comedy Movies Scary Movie 6 trailer takes a stab at modern horror – and none of your favorites are safe
 
 
Shorty (Marlon Wayans) streaming in Scary Movie 6
Comedy Movies Scary Movie 6 may skewer Gen Z and play the hits, but it's not nostalgia bait
 
 
Ghostface in a parody of The Substance in Scary Movie 6
Comedy Movies Scary Movie 6 "joke scientist" Marlon Wayans is taking a different approach to the horror spoof's humor
 
 
Latest in Reviews
The design of the YoloLiv YoloCam S3
Peripherals This webcam promises DSLR image quality, and it isn't too far off
 
 
Crimson Desert
RPGs Crimson Desert review: "A game that's far better as a sandbox than as a story"
 
 
Alien RPG Evolved Edition Core Rules on a wooden surface
Tabletop Gaming Alien: The Roleplaying Game Evolved Edition review
 
 
A Nyxi Flexi on a desk with pink lighting turned on
Gaming Controllers This controller lets you swap between Xbox and PlayStation thumbstick layouts
 
 
Photo of the Belkin Carrying Case sitting on top of the Belkin Charging Case Pro.
Accessories Belkin has done the unimaginable and made my favorite Switch 2 case even better
 
 
Key art for Marathon showing a colorful cybernetic character with a gun taking cover
FPS Games Marathon review in progress: "Bungie has created my favorite multiplayer shooter in years"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Macduff on his horse looking at the landscape of Pywel in Crimson Desert.
    1
    Crimson Desert's Day 1 patch rolls out with promises of stability optimization, an update to the RPG's divisive fast-forward feature, and more
  2. 2
    3 new to Netflix movies I recommend you watch this weekend (March 20–March 22)
  3. 3
    Diablo 4 game director admits it's "really hard for players to keep up" with the ever-changing ARPG, especially if you aren't "at the cutting edge of everything all the time"
  4. 4
    Resident Evil Requiem Leon actor recognizes fan thirst spans age, gender, and time itself as he vows to keep hitting the gym to "live up to this": "I bet you got a body pillow"
  5. 5
    How to farm money in Crimson Desert

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...